For channel - surfboarder in the late ' 90s and early ' 00s , adsfortheNowThat’sWhatICallMusicseries were a comforting part of any commercial pause . But for the millions of citizenry who purchase that first collection in 1998 by calling a 1 - 800 telephone number or buying a compact disc in a store , the compilation – which was spun off from a popular UK series of the same name – was a perennial carpool favorite , the intermixture you threw on when you sense the itch to hear Hanson and Radiohead in a single drive - time .
That was then – and this , as themellifluous voice in the commercialswould say , isnow .
On May 5 , Sony and Universal will publish the 62nd entry in the long - incline digest series ; the assembling will include lead from contemporary daddy stars like The Chainsmokers , Lady Gaga , Shawn Mendes , and more . Though the record industry has transmute since the first collection – you’re able to streamNowrecords onSpotifyandApple Music , for example – theNowseries stay committed to the same goal it ’s always had : put up a shot of what ’s democratic in music at a given point in time .
Evan Lockhart/Thrillist/Universal Music Group
But how does it do that ? Who ’s creditworthy for determining the racetrack listing ? Who is this mysterious " I " who is call out " Now That ’s What I Call Music " ? Well , now this is what I call an consultation with Jeff Moskow , the guy who has made the trick happen sinceNow 4 . To facilitate celebrate the latest entry in the serial , I asked the Philadelphia - born ex - DJ to take the air us through how aNowcompilation gets made and to share the secret sauce that keep auditor come back for more .
Step 1: Selecting the tracks
When I call the friendly Philadelphia aboriginal on a Wednesday afternoon , he ’s incisively where you ’d wait a lifelong music obsessive to be : in a record store . walk through the stacks of Gold Million Records in Bryn Mawr , Pennsylvania , he eyes vintage LPs by enactment like Curtis Mayfield , the Chi - Lites , Sade , the Doobie Brothers , and Marvin Gaye . " I ’m not necessarily here front for something specific , " he say of his mid - day outing . " It ’s just – gosh – there ’s so much that catches my optic because I ’m so into everything , which really dovetail back attractively into why I work forNow . I do n’t make judgments about , ' Oh , I ’m only go to pile up this or accumulate that . ' If it ’s a smasher , we want it . "
That ’s the populist spirit that has guided theNowseries for well-nigh two decades of pop - euphony trend rhythm – everything from the shiny boy - band pop of * NSYNC , to the grunge - lite rock of 3 Doors Down , to the shirt - remove hip - hop of Petey Pablo has turned up in various volumes – and Moskow has been there at almost every turning . When he first began working on theNowseries , the selection process was mostly concentrate around the Billboard Hot 100 chart , which cautiously tracked the most popular strain in the country by monitor tuner airplay . ButlikeBillboarditself , theNowseries has update its methods for the streaming era , incorporating the multiple digital platforms fans now see , share , and take heed to euphony on .
" There ’s now a number of chart that I calculate at , " Moskow explains . " But it ’s also rain cats and dogs data and how call are performing and what artists are registering on a panoptic cultural stratum , like who are the artists on theBillboardartist chart – not just what songs do they have . Who had the big social following ? Who has the most video recording views ? All these thing are system of measurement that we have to look at when take this repertory . "
There ’s a particular accent placed on essay to ascertain the " culturally biggest vocal . " He mentions"Panda " by Desiigneras an example of a running that he was especially well-chosen to land forNow 59 . But in addition to reading the chart , there ’s also a fleck of prognostication ask . For good example , onNow 57he rate " Cake by the Ocean " by DNCE and " My House " by Flo Rida on the digest before they became monster radio hitting , but , fortunately , by the time the record drop they were massive songs .
Step 2: Clearing the songs
Once he ’s develop a hard listing of songs for the compilation , the next whole tone is to work on licensing the tracks with other record book label , which Moskow enjoin are very supportive of theNowseries because it helps divulge their artist to a new audience . Moskow trace the labels as the " hall porter " in the licensing process . But even if the label is willing to act testicle , the creative person still need to want to be a part ofNowas well .
" You really have two level of creative person , " he says . " You have the artist who is a new hit artist that ’s thrill to be onNow– a sight of them grew up with the brand – and they ’re really excited to be part of something that ’s represented pappa culture for all of their lives . And then you have the more mature artists – which does n’t think older , just that they ’ve been doing it longer . They ’re perchance a small more wistful about what they choose to participate in . "
As sure songs get cleared and others occasionally do n’t , Moskow will continue to change his listing , isolating it down to a list of top precedence . The urging of whether a exceptional song produce it on the compilation count on factors ranging from radiocommunication play , streaming data , and whizz power . This finalization procedure typically occurs a calendar month or so away from when the record book officially degenerate .
CornusEntertainment/YouTube
Step 3: Sequencing the album
Of all the parts of the cognitive operation , Moskow is most hesitant to talk about his obsessive love of sequencing . " This is the part that ordinarily makes people ’s eyes glaze over , " he warns . But he swears that the right track - lean rescript is the private factor that has keptNowat the top of the digest biz for so long . He compares the song selection mental process to defecate a mixtape for someone : You desire the songs to take the listener on a musical journey . This stuff matters so much to him , he says , that he ’s spent two days with his engineer discuss a stern of a sec between tracks .
But unlike most mixtapes , this one is n’t supposed to be reflective of the creator ’s taste . alternatively , the idealNowrecord serves as a mirror to the cultivation that can include pop , hip - record hop , country , or rock . ( Moskow articulate if there ’s ever a grownup metal hit , he ’d love to have it onNow . ) That musical genre tractability allows the compilation to cherry - pick the best Sung dynasty from whatever trend happens to be red-hot in a give here and now . Moskow cites Psy ’s " Gangnam Style " as the perfect example of aNowsong : catchy , out of odd field , and most important , enormously popular .
He wo n’t even let his hate for a song get in the way ofNowinclusion . " The consumer has already voted with their ears , " he say . " The consumer has already said this is a hit or this is search well and getting play well . The consumer has already said if a vocal is a hit , and if it ’s a strike we want it onNow . "
It ’s a rarified affair in an geological era when anyone can make a playlist : curation without ego , taste without judgment . When he ’s off the clock , Moskow might opt to relax with a Stevie Wonder record , an onetime Earth , Wind & Fire LP , or some Philly soul , but his job is to attend up what ’s most popular to the masses . Lucky for him , he has eclectic taste , but he ’s also a steadfast defender of the songwriters , performers , and record - industry employees who make what some might terminate as " daddy crap . "
" There are songwriter out here who are writing and crafting this music , " he says . " It ’s being recorded by artists who generally conceive in what they ’re doing and it ’s being marketed by record companies whose jobs are to market and to make strike , and it ’s being play on the radio and the consumer is engage with it . And it ’s my job to collect it . "
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Now That’s What I Call Music! (US)/YouTube
Now That’s What I Call Music! (US)/YouTube
